NATION IN BRIEF : FLORIDA : Doctor-Owned Labs Called More Costly
Clinical labs owned by Florida doctors perform nearly twice as many tests as other labs and at more than double the cost, a state report said. The Florida Health Care Cost Containment Board found that clinical labs owned by referring physicians perform an average of 3.3 tests per patient, compared to 1.7 tests in other labs. And labs owned by physicians charge an average $43 per patient, compared with $20 per patient in other labs. A spokesman for the Florida Medical Assn. said the numbers were preliminary and need to be carefully analyzed.The study was based on 2,669 questionnaires distributed to nine different kinds of medical centers.
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